Honor and Violence in the Renaissance

Often, in United States, I hear that it is wise to ignore verbal insults, and that it’s instead preferable to not care about the things people may say about you and to you. Part of me definitely sympathizes with this stoic attitude. I appreciate the ability not to react to people trying to push your buttons. Emotional resilience against verbal bullying is something I can respect. Being able to be unmoved by the opinions of others and by attempts to smear your reputation is a super-power. One of my favorite Zen stories about master Hakuin drives home this exact point.

And yet, the cultural context I was raised in pushed me in a different direction. Where I grew up, it was pretty much expected that if you made fun of someone's family or otherwise verbally insulted them, there was a decent chance someone would break a bottle and cut your throat. This didn’t mean people felt censored in their right to free speech. You were definitely free to say whatever you wanted, but you also wouldn’t be surprised if people reacted violently to a perceived insult. The end result is that often people were fairly polite. And if they weren’t, they did so fully aware of the possible repercussions.

In studying the life of Benvenuto Cellini and the culture of Renaissance Italy (see episodes 99 and 100 of History on Fire), I have realized that the cultural context that shaped me has a long history behind it. In his autobiography, Cellini makes a point to call attention to all the cases in which he engaged in fairly extreme violence over ‘insults to his honor.’ In Cellini’s world, failing to respond violently to an insult marked a weakness in one’s character. Pretty much the opposite analysis of the Stoic approach to responding to insults.

I tackle this topic in this quick video about honor culture in the Renaissance. The video also includes the most Italian (and hilarious) take on revenge ever. If you enjoy it, please subscribe for free to my YouTube channel.